1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a washing machine for the washing of fabrics and items of clothing and more particularly, to a washing machine of the vertical axis, wobble type wherein a single basket retains both the items being washed and the washing medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional clothes washing machines are generally of the vertical axis agitator type and are traditionally rather large and complex. In such machines, generally there is provided a cabinet enclosing an outer water-retaining tub within which is situated a clothes retaining basket. An agitator is mounted within this inner basket and along with the basket, the assembly is coupled through a suitable power transmission with an electric motor. The transmission is a necessity to convert from the high RPM motor to the speeds necessary for centrifugal extraction of water and for the oscillatory motion of the agitator during the wash cycle. Such machines generally include a water pump for recirculating water within the machine and a filter for separating out lint and other particles from this recirculation flow. Included with the pump and filter mechanism is a plethora of plumbing and hoses as well as a water level switch. Inherently then, such machines use large amounts of water and there results a high energy interface between the clothes being washed and the oscillating agitator. Many machines also suffer from vibration and traveling problems resulting from unbalances in the machines during the centrifugal water extraction spinning operation while other machines use complex suspension systems including counterweights, and many times the clothes basket is also provided with an annular balance ring disposed somewhere around the circumference thereof to alleviate this problem.
Attempts have been made to simplify these washing machines, and especially the drive mechanisms thereof and the wobble type of machine appears to have been one of the results. U.S. Pat. No. 2,580,435-Kirby discloses a wobble type of washing machine wherein, although the drive mechanism is simplified, there is still the need for an outer, imperforate water retaining tub. Additionally, the machine would probably suffer from bearing failure problems due to features inherent in the design such as the large rotating mass of the clothes retaining basket. U.S. Pat. No. 2,645,111-Fields discloses a wobble type of washing machine wherein the agitator is placed upon a bent shaft, the agitator being fixed with respect to the clothes retaining basket and thereby not capable of being rotated, however, as the vertical shaft turns, the agitator experiences a gyratory excursion. With this machine also, the bearings would probably be subjected to severe stresses since a rather heavy clothes retaining basket and the agitator are subject to high speed rotation during the centrifugal water extraction process. Such a machine also requires an outer, imperforate water retaining tub.
One fairly simple solution to the simplification problem would seem to be to adopt a combination tub-basket, a single imperforate container which holds both the clothes being washed and the washing medium. With such an arrangement however, during the high speed spin, water extraction process, that imperforate basket, the wet items being washed and the washing medium constitute a rather large mass and the diametral moment of the dynamic system approaches the value of the polar moment thereof. The result is instability much like a spinning ball with the concomitant traveling or walking of the machine. Rather sophisticated suspension systems are required as are heavy weights to hold the machine down and to dampen vibrations resulting from unbalance in such an arrangement.
It is desirable then to provide a washing machine of the vertical axis, wobble type wherein the outer water-retaining tub is eliminated thereby resulting in a single, imperforate basket for receiving both the items to be washed and the washing medium. It is also desirable to provide such a wobble washing machine that has centrifugal water extraction capabilities but which has a simplified drive mechanism. It is also desirable to provide such a wobble washing machine which is stable and not susceptible to walking or traveling during the high speed spin process and which has a fairly simple suspension system without need for a plurality of counterbalances. It is also desirable to provide such a wobble washing machine wherein there is no need for a water recirculation system whereby plumbing, such as hoses and the like, is kept to a minimum. It is also desirable to provide such a washing machine wherein a small amount of water is used to effect washing and rinsing of clothes therein. By the present invention, there is provided such a washing machine of the vertical axis, wobble type which is rather simple of construction, highly reliable and of fairly low cost and which meets the requirements hereinbefore described.